I’m so glad I found your page. I just picked up a 16ft Wriedt that has a Merc 1400 and am trying to diagnose why it won’t start. I just got it today so I will start with fresh fuel because it’s old I smell it. The motor looks almost new inside and out. I’ll be watching all your videos on the L6 today to get acquainted with it. I normally work on small engines and pretty mechanically smart but I figured I would find people like you first who have been around them and have the knowledge.
Hey man thanks for the vids, blew up an 83 115 but then found a 76 140 power head rebuilt and have been learning up on it. This video was truly a help and about to go out and use your method, thank you :)
I'd like to see a fuel delivery video on these motors. My bulb never pumps up consistently and I'm chasing the pump, the line, and any valves that might be in the tank.
Any possible way to show a video on where the throttle cables should be so that I am getn the correct response mine is at a point when pushed forward at controls its like they only go 3/4 of way and rest is dead spot no more throttle I was just wondering if thats to do with cable barrel screws that come into front of engine on that mount are not set correctly
Ok none of my screw settings are there are back off so starting from the beginning on seeing the screws. Where should the distributor position be when setting the arm to touch the throttle opening. When I turn the distributor as far as it will go clock wise I have 1/4 inch gap. Hope not confusing. Really need help. Should I set primary then set see when I'm at with the arm. 75 merc 850
The carb cluster should be barely touching the primary pickup. The curve in the primary pauses the butterflies from opening for a millisecond allowing the timing to advance before the butterflies slam open from the secondary pickup. Son
I just purchased a 1985 mercury motor the motor runs great , how ever the carbs are leaking fuel, How can i fix this problem ,, also where do i get the screens for my carbs thanks
Hey Son, Hope you get this message cuz I really need an answer. Thanks to you I tackled a powerhead replacement. In setting the timing it went well but, the timing sticker was not good enough to make sure it was at max. Think I might be closer to 18-19*. If I’m at 18* what will be the issues if any? Had to go closer to 0* to idle down. Haven’t been on the water yet. Fired it up and it runs well. Around 120psi on all. Is there a precise measurement from TDC to 20*? Will I be damaging anything trying it at 18*? Thanks
Hey Son, I have a 1970 1150, when you’re in the boat driving with the covers off, as soon as you hit max advance watching the distributor, the engine just stops accelerating and just holds that rpm seems to cruise fine, but the more throttle you give it the more unhappy it gets. All link and sync procedure is followed, only thing unusual is the distributor is very hard to turn
So what is the deal with the carbs and the little orange red heat shrink on the top of the carbs? Where the black hose goes from one side to the other. Should I do that on my 1150?
Thats the back drag circuit. It allows air to mix with your fuel. Thus thinning out your fuel/oil. I prefer a rich fuel mixture vs a leaned out one. Not necessary but a preference. I always disable the back drag tubes. Son
Couldn't find a better place to ask this: I have a '79 Mariner 140 (Mercury 1400 L6), and while looking at the distributor to understand link & syncing, I noticed it was really stiff, which led me to also notice the zerk fittings on the assembly. How exactly do I go about greasing the setup, there are a couple of zerks up there and I don't want to do it wrong, is it as simple as pump grease in, wipe anything that poops out off and continue on down the path? Thanks SON!
Hey Son, I'd really appreciate it if you can tell me what's the cause for a low idle that'll die when the enricher is backed all the way to neutral 😐 I'm at a loss, rebuilt carbs changed all spark plugs, fuel l9nes and pump rebuilt years ago but never ran it. Feels like it needs to increase the idle rpm...do i do it using the fuel mixture on the carb? Thanks a million bro.
Hello Son, I have. 1978 Merc 115 hp In line 6 and when you take of just as it starts to rev up under a load, it it kills and goes again quite a few times and when you back out of it and accelerate slowly it will wind all the way up. Any ideas? Thanks !
Try turning all 3 idle screws ccw 1/4 turn. If that doesn't a lower pitch prop might help. Otherwise, you may have a fuel intake issue. Let me know. Son
Hello, i need to place my flywheel back on engine but it was taken by loosen the 8 little bolts. Can u tell me the good position at timingmark when piston 1 is on tdc.? Its a mercury classic fifty 45hp powertrim. Thanks greetz from Holland
Does this video also apply to a 1974 mercury 500 thunderbolt ignition? I want to try this out because I think my motor doesn’t run on all cylinders because of the timing. Great video sir!
The ignition system on a 500 is different from an L6. It has to coils inside the distributor. One for high speed and one for low. As long as you are in spec for idle and max with throttle cam barely touching the carb clusters it should run great. In my experience it's a lot easier to get 500 syncd. Hope this helps! Son
hi, MerCSon I have a few questions. I have a '71 1350 merc with the thunderbolt ignition. I just replaced the distributor on it with a CDI as I was getting no spark. I was getting power to the distributor but not coming out of it. this is my first time taking on a motor project on a boat so I'm lost a bit. my flywheel doesn't have any TDC marks on it except the 3 dots. the pully's arrow is worn off so I have no point of reference and I am out of money to buy new parts. is there another point of reference I can use in the pully when I find TDC? also, I'm lost on how to adjust the degrees on TDC. I know on cars you change the positioning of the distributor but I'm not sure how to do it on an outboard.
The 3 dots are TDC. You need a new pulley cap with the arrow to properly align the distributor with the engine timing. With the new cdi trigger the spark will be strong. All you have to do is align the distributor with the spark. Son
@@MerCSonL6 is there supposed to be any vertical play in the distributor when bolted in? I've got probably 1/8 of play where I can move the distributor up and down. do I need to take it apart again? if so where would I tighten down because I tighten down everything I could as mush as I could when I put it back together
Hi mercson.I have a 74 merc1500..the problem is when idling is fine,once you advance the throttle it dies and will not advance under load..Any thoughts to the problem.. I chkd compression 120psi to 130psi all cylinders..
Rotate all three idle screws ccw 1/4 turn at the same time until you get a whole shot. If that doesn't work then carb rebuilds are in order. Sounds like your beast is not getting enough fuel. Son
Do you think you might eventually do a video on fuel pump assembly rebuild I’ve got a 1980 90 and I rebuilt the carbs thinking that was my issue but the pulser is what I was told the problem is with it dumping gas into crank and not running through the carburetors and do you have any ideas on what might cause that issue. I know I love your videos and even having the manual your videos have been extremely helpful on things that I’ve over looked. Thanks for your time and responsiveness mercson
That is a crazy issue to have. By pulsar do you mean the negative and positive pressure from the crank? Or the check valves? The 1980 fuel pumps have a base gasket that eliminates this issue. Well, should eliminate. Let me know. Son
MerCSon L6 I’m not quite sure yet I rebuilt the carbs and it was still sounding flooded and I took it to a marine mechanic and they said the check valve was bad so once the carbs filled up with gas and closed off the floats it was dumping gas into the crank it’s been there about a month now still waiting on parts to fix it. Once I get it back and find out what was wrong I’ll let you know. I did buy a fuel pump assemble from a guy on the mercury outboard enthusiast so if I get that before they get parts to fix the one on the motor I’ll mail it to you to take a look at.
@@StefanZivkovicMedia my issue ended up being a diaphragm in the fuel pump dumping gas through the hole into the engine block. I got the sierra rebuild kit and rebuilt it. If you have an inline 6 mercury motor I am a member on the Facebook group inline 6 enthusiasts page lots of info from guys there that can help with troubleshooting along with parts here and there.
Hey thanks for the videos! I am working on a merc 900, I had it running yesterday but it died abruptly so took it apart to clean the carburetors, there was a lot of mud or old fuel sitting in the fuel bowl and directly in the jets. Anyway got her back together but now I'm not getting any turn over at all, just a click at the motor. The battery is full, I directly connected power to the starter solenoid and it cranked, so I'm not sure where to look, any suggestions?
@@MerCSonL6 replaced the solenoid still no dice. could it be my switch? I suspect it has something to do with what I took apart yesterday but everything is connected where it belongs, ive checked at least eight times, i've filed all of the connections, replaced small bits of wire that were frayed. I just had it running yesterday, starter was working great....
How does this work? I'm sorry, I just don't understand how sparking g the distributor 7 times gets the spark to 5 degrees? Please help. I appreciate it.
@charlierichardson1826 you find TDC. Set pointer at 5 degrees by turning the flywheel. Loosen the idle stop screw by backing it out. Then gentle turn the distributor until it sparks/clicks. Ideally, you want the spark to hit as its hitting the stop. Lock down the idle screw in that position and that's 5 degrees BTDC. Son
@@MerCSonL6 Thank u bud. I truly appreciate it. The book says it has to be done in the water with a load and all that, so this is truly helpful. Thank u again!
I performed the steps as described, engine isnrunning AWESOME! THANKS again! Now the rectifier is bad. Also watched ur rectifier video. AWESOME, The rectifier is also bad. Thanks AGAIN for ur help!
@@MerCSonL6 I have a 1979 115 that needs a new engine harness and my harness from the control box to the plug-in is cut. I would like to be able to mend the harness from the control with a new plug and figure out what harness I need for the motor itself. Then I can start diagnosing it and getting it back up to par. I know the carburetors need to be fixed because the bottom carburetor was flooding the cylinder.
Great video. I have mercury 500. I try it with your method, but no spark was found. my motor runs. The spark only takes place when the engine is running. Is anything wrong?
A 500 has a different ignition system. The high and low speed coils are in the distributor. This link and Sync method will not work for your engine. Just set the primary and max to spec. Son
Great video as always! Thanks for sharing your knowledge of these old Mercs with us. I know I greatly appreciate it.
I’m so glad I found your page. I just picked up a 16ft Wriedt that has a Merc 1400 and am trying to diagnose why it won’t start. I just got it today so I will start with fresh fuel because it’s old I smell it. The motor looks almost new inside and out. I’ll be watching all your videos on the L6 today to get acquainted with it. I normally work on small engines and pretty mechanically smart but I figured I would find people like you first who have been around them and have the knowledge.
Thank you my friend. Son
loving these videos. I have 2 1150's from the mid 70's that i'm keeping alive. these videos are what i've been waiting for. thanks!
U are a life saver. Thanks for posting these videos
Hey man thanks for the vids, blew up an 83 115 but then found a 76 140 power head rebuilt and have been learning up on it. This video was truly a help and about to go out and use your method, thank you :)
I'd like to see a fuel delivery video on these motors. My bulb never pumps up consistently and I'm chasing the pump, the line, and any valves that might be in the tank.
I'll add it to the docket my friend. Perhaps after my next project. Thanks. Son
Any possible way to show a video on where the throttle cables should be so that I am getn the correct response mine is at a point when pushed forward at controls its like they only go 3/4 of way and rest is dead spot no more throttle I was just wondering if thats to do with cable barrel screws that come into front of engine on that mount are not set correctly
Sounds like you need new cables. I'll add throttle and shift linkage to my docket. Son
Ok none of my screw settings are there are back off so starting from the beginning on seeing the screws. Where should the distributor position be when setting the arm to touch the throttle opening. When I turn the distributor as far as it will go clock wise I have 1/4 inch gap. Hope not confusing. Really need help. Should I set primary then set see when I'm at with the arm. 75 merc 850
The carb cluster should be barely touching the primary pickup. The curve in the primary pauses the butterflies from opening for a millisecond allowing the timing to advance before the butterflies slam open from the secondary pickup. Son
I have a 1985 115 power trim and it idles good and revs fine in and out of gear but as soon as I put it in gear in the water it bogs any suggestions.
Try turning all 3 carb idle screws 1/4 turn ccw.
I just purchased a 1985 mercury motor the motor runs great , how ever the carbs are leaking fuel, How can i fix this problem ,, also where do i get the screens for my carbs
thanks
czcams.com/video/yh3YMJdONvI/video.html
Hey Son,
Hope you get this message cuz I really need an answer.
Thanks to you I tackled a powerhead replacement.
In setting the timing it went well but, the timing sticker was not good enough to make sure it was at max. Think I might be closer to 18-19*. If I’m at 18* what will be the issues if any?
Had to go closer to 0* to idle down. Haven’t been on the water yet. Fired it up and it runs well.
Around 120psi on all.
Is there a precise measurement from TDC to 20*? Will I be damaging anything trying it at 18*?
Thanks
18 is good. Today's fuel is crap. Son
Hey Son, I have a 1970 1150, when you’re in the boat driving with the covers off, as soon as you hit max advance watching the distributor, the engine just stops accelerating and just holds that rpm seems to cruise fine, but the more throttle you give it the more unhappy it gets. All link and sync procedure is followed, only thing unusual is the distributor is very hard to turn
Check that when the distributor is at max advance that the throttle is overcoming the "economiser spring" and that ALL carbs are actually at WOT
@@izaacbanks3337 ok thank you I’ll check it out 👍
So what is the deal with the carbs and the little orange red heat shrink on the top of the carbs? Where the black hose goes from one side to the other. Should I do that on my 1150?
Thats the back drag circuit. It allows air to mix with your fuel. Thus thinning out your fuel/oil. I prefer a rich fuel mixture vs a leaned out one. Not necessary but a preference. I always disable the back drag tubes. Son
Couldn't find a better place to ask this: I have a '79 Mariner 140 (Mercury 1400 L6), and while looking at the distributor to understand link & syncing, I noticed it was really stiff, which led me to also notice the zerk fittings on the assembly. How exactly do I go about greasing the setup, there are a couple of zerks up there and I don't want to do it wrong, is it as simple as pump grease in, wipe anything that poops out off and continue on down the path? Thanks SON!
Grease gun with marine grade grease. Son
Hey Son, I'd really appreciate it if you can tell me what's the cause for a low idle that'll die when the enricher is backed all the way to neutral 😐 I'm at a loss, rebuilt carbs changed all spark plugs, fuel l9nes and pump rebuilt years ago but never ran it. Feels like it needs to increase the idle rpm...do i do it using the fuel mixture on the carb? Thanks a million bro.
Hello Son, I have. 1978 Merc 115 hp In line 6 and when you take of just as it starts to rev up under a load, it it kills and goes again quite a few times and when you back out of it and accelerate slowly it will wind all the way up. Any ideas? Thanks !
Try turning all 3 idle screws ccw 1/4 turn. If that doesn't a lower pitch prop might help. Otherwise, you may have a fuel intake issue. Let me know. Son
Where can I find one of those timing pointers? Love your instructions!
You can use painter's tape. Just as effective and probably a lot easier to find. Son
I have no screens or flaps on my carbs, will this create problems. I can't find a place to purchase those pieces.
Do a direct injection. I have a video and your motor will start on the first crank everytime!
Hi there!
I need help with a 1978 Mercury 90hp 900?
I am in Bremerton Washington.
Please reply.
What's your issue(s)?
Hello, i need to place my flywheel back on engine but it was taken by loosen the 8 little bolts. Can u tell me the good position at timingmark when piston 1 is on tdc.?
Its a mercury classic fifty 45hp powertrim. Thanks greetz from Holland
Line TDC. Place flywheel to where it matches. Bolt down. Son
Does this video also apply to a 1974 mercury 500 thunderbolt ignition? I want to try this out because I think my motor doesn’t run on all cylinders because of the timing. Great video sir!
The ignition system on a 500 is different from an L6. It has to coils inside the distributor. One for high speed and one for low. As long as you are in spec for idle and max with throttle cam barely touching the carb clusters it should run great. In my experience it's a lot easier to get 500 syncd. Hope this helps! Son
hi, MerCSon I have a few questions. I have a '71 1350 merc with the thunderbolt ignition. I just replaced the distributor on it with a CDI as I was getting no spark. I was getting power to the distributor but not coming out of it. this is my first time taking on a motor project on a boat so I'm lost a bit. my flywheel doesn't have any TDC marks on it except the 3 dots. the pully's arrow is worn off so I have no point of reference and I am out of money to buy new parts. is there another point of reference I can use in the pully when I find TDC? also, I'm lost on how to adjust the degrees on TDC. I know on cars you change the positioning of the distributor but I'm not sure how to do it on an outboard.
The 3 dots are TDC. You need a new pulley cap with the arrow to properly align the distributor with the engine timing. With the new cdi trigger the spark will be strong. All you have to do is align the distributor with the spark. Son
czcams.com/video/2ZofSfCQVXw/video.html
This is the exact operation. 1/2 tooth off will throw off your entire operation. Let me know. Son
@@MerCSonL6 is there supposed to be any vertical play in the distributor when bolted in? I've got probably 1/8 of play where I can move the distributor up and down. do I need to take it apart again? if so where would I tighten down because I tighten down everything I could as mush as I could when I put it back together
Hi mercson.I have a 74 merc1500..the problem is when idling is fine,once you advance the throttle it dies and will not advance under load..Any thoughts to the problem.. I chkd compression 120psi to 130psi all cylinders..
Rotate all three idle screws ccw 1/4 turn at the same time until you get a whole shot. If that doesn't work then carb rebuilds are in order. Sounds like your beast is not getting enough fuel. Son
@@MerCSonL6 Thankyou Son for your reply and invaluable knowledge of the l6 idiosyncrasies. Robert
What if you are rotating the distributor and don't hear any spark ?
Is the key 🔑 in the "on" position?
Do you think you might eventually do a video on fuel pump assembly rebuild I’ve got a 1980 90 and I rebuilt the carbs thinking that was my issue but the pulser is what I was told the problem is with it dumping gas into crank and not running through the carburetors and do you have any ideas on what might cause that issue. I know I love your videos and even having the manual your videos have been extremely helpful on things that I’ve over looked. Thanks for your time and responsiveness mercson
I just made a post that ties into this post. Here is hoping.
That is a crazy issue to have. By pulsar do you mean the negative and positive pressure from the crank? Or the check valves? The 1980 fuel pumps have a base gasket that eliminates this issue. Well, should eliminate. Let me know. Son
MerCSon L6 I’m not quite sure yet I rebuilt the carbs and it was still sounding flooded and I took it to a marine mechanic and they said the check valve was bad so once the carbs filled up with gas and closed off the floats it was dumping gas into the crank it’s been there about a month now still waiting on parts to fix it. Once I get it back and find out what was wrong I’ll let you know. I did buy a fuel pump assemble from a guy on the mercury outboard enthusiast so if I get that before they get parts to fix the one on the motor I’ll mail it to you to take a look at.
@@justinshimp5253 hey Justin, i think i have the same problem… what did u do to fix it? Replace the pump gasket ?
@@StefanZivkovicMedia my issue ended up being a diaphragm in the fuel pump dumping gas through the hole into the engine block. I got the sierra rebuild kit and rebuilt it. If you have an inline 6 mercury motor I am a member on the Facebook group inline 6 enthusiasts page lots of info from guys there that can help with troubleshooting along with parts here and there.
Do you have a video on TDC? I couldn't find it
czcams.com/video/T_YbUCPDgMs/video.html
Would these settings be the same for a mercury 800 80hp thunderbolt 4cylinder with distributor ignition?
The process is the same. Timing specs are different. Son
Ok thank you!
@@taylorlavoy9742 sure thing!
Hey thanks for the videos! I am working on a merc 900, I had it running yesterday but it died abruptly so took it apart to clean the carburetors, there was a lot of mud or old fuel sitting in the fuel bowl and directly in the jets. Anyway got her back together but now I'm not getting any turn over at all, just a click at the motor. The battery is full, I directly connected power to the starter solenoid and it cranked, so I'm not sure where to look, any suggestions?
Your starter selonoid is bad. It relays the 12v (usually a thick red wire) to the yellow wire which goes to your starter.
@@MerCSonL6 Copy, Ill check on it and keep you posted, Thank you !!
@@MerCSonL6 replaced the solenoid still no dice. could it be my switch? I suspect it has something to do with what I took apart yesterday but everything is connected where it belongs, ive checked at least eight times, i've filed all of the connections, replaced small bits of wire that were frayed. I just had it running yesterday, starter was working great....
@@MikeJones-eh6el does the starter spin when you apply 12v directly to it? Try disconnecting the killswitch at the switchbox. Son
@@MerCSonL6 yes it does, it will fire and run for a couple seconds, I'll try the kill switch.
Are the timing settings the same for a 1969 1000?
Negative. Son
Who works on these in reno and lake Alamor ca.
Noone. Son
Do these settings apply to a 115hp?
Sure do.
@@MerCSonL6 Brother I need serious Help ...
Hello. What is the clicking doing in the distributor?
Spark. Son
How does this work? I'm sorry, I just don't understand how sparking g the distributor 7 times gets the spark to 5 degrees? Please help. I appreciate it.
@charlierichardson1826 you find TDC. Set pointer at 5 degrees by turning the flywheel. Loosen the idle stop screw by backing it out. Then gentle turn the distributor until it sparks/clicks. Ideally, you want the spark to hit as its hitting the stop. Lock down the idle screw in that position and that's 5 degrees BTDC. Son
@@MerCSonL6 Thank u bud. I truly appreciate it. The book says it has to be done in the water with a load and all that, so this is truly helpful. Thank u again!
I performed the steps as described, engine isnrunning AWESOME! THANKS again! Now the rectifier is bad. Also watched ur rectifier video. AWESOME, The rectifier is also bad. Thanks AGAIN for ur help!
How do I get a hold of you? I have a 1979 Mercury 1150 that I want to get running properly.
Whats your issue?
@@MerCSonL6 I have a 1979 115 that needs a new engine harness and my harness from the control box to the plug-in is cut. I would like to be able to mend the harness from the control with a new plug and figure out what harness I need for the motor itself. Then I can start diagnosing it and getting it back up to par. I know the carburetors need to be fixed because the bottom carburetor was flooding the cylinder.
@@MerCSonL6 it was running and then something shorted the wire harness and created alot of problems for me and it never started again after that.
@@MerCSonL6 if you want you can email me and I will send you my number.
@@MerCSonL6 neonjoep@gmail.com
Great video. I have mercury 500. I try it with your method, but no spark was found. my motor runs. The spark only takes place when the engine is running. Is anything wrong?
A 500 has a different ignition system. The high and low speed coils are in the distributor. This link and Sync method will not work for your engine. Just set the primary and max to spec. Son
@@MerCSonL6 I appreciate your valuable reply.